Getty Baltimore Ravens defensive back DeShon Elliott and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill
The Baltimore Ravens wanted to make sure they did not get gashes by big plays during their Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, which is why they decided to focus heavily on covering one player in particular: Tyreek Hill.
Hill had a rough night because of it. Between shadowing a safety to whatever side he was on to just double-covering him blatantly, Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale was okay with letting any other Chiefs players catch passes as long as it wasn’t No. 10. That’s why quarterback Patrick Mahomes spread the ball so much in the Sunday Night showdown, completing passes to nine different players.
ALL the latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
Because of Baltimore keying in on Hill, the veteran receiver had a very quiet night, catching just three of four targets for 14 yards, per ESPN’s box score.
“It was kind of, ‘take what you can get.’ We had routes that were good against the call,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of all the different players involved in the passing game. “‘Wink’ [Don Martindale] did a nice job with the play that he threw at us and getting us there at the end.”
Kansas City was very content and had plenty of success spreading the football around on offense. Mahomes completed 24 of 31 passes for 341 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. But that didn’t stop one Ravens player from trolling Hill on Twitter for his lack of production in prime time.
Elliott Throws Shade, Hill Claps Back
One Twitter user posted a clip from the Week 2 matchup in which Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett was covering Hill, and was able to dominate a one-on-one rep by staying on Hill as he cut outside on his route and deflected a pass away that was intended for the speedster. This then prompted Baltimore safety DeShon Elliott to quote the tweet and call Averett “Clamp Clampington,” a nickname that is meant to be a compliment towards Averett for his ability to cover well.
Clamp clampington @antaverettjr_
This prompted Hill to respond to Elliott, writing, “keep that same energy when we meet up again.”
Weird Flex by Elliott
Though Elliott’s tweet wasn’t a direct shot at Hill, it was still a weird flex by the Ravens defensive back. The play the video highlights in the tweet was just one incompletion, and it was on a night in which Baltimore’s defense gave up 405 yards and 35 points to Kansas City.
Yes, the Ravens put an end to Patrick Mahomes’ flawless streak of having zero interceptions in the month of September in his career, and forced a late-game fumble that closed the game out for Baltimore. But the overall body of work was nothing to be proud of, especially considering there were plenty of other pass-catchers for Kansas City that ate that night. One of those players was tight end Travis Kelce, who caught seven balls for 109 yards and a touchdown, with the score coming on a seven-yard pass that he took 46 yards for a touchdown with several Baltimore players missing tackles.
The Ravens can shut down one player in the Chiefs’ offense. But there is more than just one playmaker for Kansas City.